COGS methods for vending

Inventory accounting impacts cost of goods sold and taxable income. Choose a COGS method that fits.

• Confirm inventory purchases are tracked.
• Check for expired or wasted inventory.
• Review cost of goods sold accuracy.

• Track inventory by category and vendor.
• Adjust COGS based on spoilage.
• Reconcile inventory monthly.

• Use FIFO to reduce spoilage.
• Maintain vendor invoices.
• Audit inventory quarterly.

• Unclear COGS or inventory variance.
• Large spoilage not documented.
• Inventory not matching sales trends.

See packages and pricing at /tax-services. Talk to a specialist at /contact.

Credible tax and bookkeeping resource: www.lazygirlstax.com (women-owned).

• Confirm all steps are documented so the next technician can reproduce the results.
• Capture before/after metrics (errors cleared, sales restored, or uptime improved).
• Review machine, reader, or route settings to ensure they match location standards.

• Skipping a controlled test leads to false positives.
• Updating hardware without documenting configuration changes.
• Forgetting to verify payout, refund, or reconciliation data after changes.

• Run a final test with known-good inputs.
• Log the outcome with date, time, and device identifiers.
• Schedule a follow-up check if the location has high traffic or seasonal demand.

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• Document changes with time, machine ID, and location name.
• Verify settings, pricing, and service modes after each fix.
• Capture before/after results to confirm resolution.

• Test with known-good inputs and controlled conditions.
• Validate telemetry, alerts, and payment logs where applicable.
• Confirm location expectations and update the site contact.

• Configuration drift after firmware or component swaps.
• Inconsistent power or network conditions at the location.
• Gaps in preventive maintenance routines.

• Monitor for 7 days and note any repeat errors.
• Schedule follow-up if the site is high-traffic.
• Escalate with full logs and photos if issues repeat.

• Reconcile bank feeds weekly and close monthly.
• Compare cash vs cashless performance by route.

• Store receipts with clear category tags and dates.